Epiacum Roman Fort and Historic Landscape

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-cwqKPoTMzfw/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/zGLtMczl3yk/s96-c/photo.jpgWelcome to Epiacum! Come and explore this historic landscape.

Walking uphill towards the Maiden Way Roman Road, then taking a right turn, you enter the fort through the remains of the east gate.

Exploring the humps and hollows of this former cavalry fort, you can even find the remains of the 1957 excavation as you cross the ramparts. Pssing the bath house, where our moles dug up a bronze dolphin (probably the handle from a Roman razor), you decend the ramparts and join the Pennine Way. Walking through the vicus  - the civilian settlement where the soldiers' families would have lived and worked - you rise above the fort and the views open wide.

At the highest point on the walk, there is a carved greenwood bench where you can rest and enjoy the spectacular views. Have a look at the interpretation panel and see if you can spot the features that are shown.


From here you walk up and down the rampart ditches to re-enter the fort from the west. Watch out for marauders!


Now see if you can find the footprints of square buildings - some Roman and some from Tudor times - although it was the Border Reivers who battled for power here back then. 

Now the  route climbs to the South West tower - with it's commanding views over the parade ground - only discovered by our excavations in 2017. Decending once more, skirt through the rushes - a favourite hiding place for our brown hares - so watch out for them (picture is fuzzy because it was so fast!).


From here you can climb onto the tribune and shout your commands to the ghosts of the soldiers on the parade ground.

Then wander through the reeds and between the sheep to find the circular hollows and hillocks of the prehistoric settlement. From here we wander down a few hundred meeters and across 2000 years to Wellhouse Bastle. People were still iving here in Victorian times - in fact Whitlow was a village with several houses, but only one family lives here now.


Now we return past HolyMire bastle, and back downhill, all the way to to the car park.

Don't forget to return your weapons!

Epiacum is a scheduled ancient monument protected by law - Absolutely no digging or metal detecting allowed. 

If you have enjoyed your visit - why not join the Friends of Epiacum?

https://www.epiacumheritage.org/get-involved/

Please leave a donation in the honesty box in the car park - the money raised goes towards reprinting the leaflets and maintaining the site for visitors.

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